Simon Food Favourites: Glebe

Showing posts with label Glebe. Show all posts

15 October 2013

The Wedge Espresso: Coffee and Cafe, Glebe (10 Aug 2013)

53/55 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037

A wedge of Glebe

A lazy weekend brings me to swing by The Wedge Expresso while checking out the local Glebe markets. Fueling baby on board with a Babyccino ($0.50) of about half milk and half froth goes down well although most parents will probably agree a full froth version is your safest bet for a path of least potential mess. My Cappuccino ($3.50) is enjoyable with good roasty flavour, non bitter and done well. I wish I could have sat down to enjoy it although space and seating was just too cosy and difficult with present company. The Smashed Egg and Ham Roll with tomato chutney, mayo and rocket ($7) took a while to prepare so take away coffee and babyccino were finished by the time I received. Flavours were tasty and came in a nice toasted bread. The egg was cooked well and still slightly runny. Tempts me to try more of their sandwiches. The window spot is a great way to check out the passing crowd.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Service quite friendly and relaxed with hints of too cool for school, Reasonably priced menu, Nice coffee

CONS: Limited seating and table space, Menus looking a bit worn and grotty, Limited menu, Parking can be hard to find

MUST TRY: Revisiting to try other sandwiches

VERDICT: Definitely seems to be a popular place for locals to get their caffeine hit. Count yourself luck if you get a spot to sit.

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They're not kidding when they call it a wedge

Menu has seen better days

Babyccino ($0.50) — some froth, some milk, Cappuccino ($3.50) — good roasty flavour and non bitter, done well

Smashed Egg and Ham Roll with tomato chutney, mayo and rocket ($7) — good flavours, nice toasted bread, egg cooked well and still slightly runny
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

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06 September 2010

The Boathouse: Freshly Shucked Oysters, Glebe (4 Sept 2010)

End of Ferry Road, Glebe NSW 2037
http://www.boathouse.net.au

Oysters are best freshly shucked

One of my longest standing friends decided to have his 40th birthday at the The Boathouse which is apparently home to the much famed signature dish of the Snapper Pie ($48) as mentioned many times on Eatability (7.6 score after 213 reviews) — but this is something I'll have to try next time. He generously treated his guests to a 3 course set dinner menu (3 choices of entree, main and dessert) including sides, wines and oysters shucked to order. To be honest, it's an expensive restaurant and oysters cost more than $4 each but there's nothing quite like a freshly shucked oyster to appreciate its pure taste. To start, 3 types of oysters were provided including Claire De Lune ($4.20 each), Wonboyn Rock ($4.20 each) and Port Stephens Rock ($4.20 each) — all very good with Claire De Lune being my favourite of the night and matching so well with the Kawarau Estate 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Central Otago NZ ($54/bottle). The accompanying migonette sauce was quite strong and perhaps a little too overpowering so I preferred having the oysters natural so you could really appreciate the oysters fresh briny taste. My light entree of Cured New Zealand King Salmon ($27) was nicely presented and the flavours of baby fennel and grapefruit worked well together — the salmon was soft and buttery as hoped. The Carpaccio of Hot Smoked Wagyu Beef ($27) came with a perfectly cooked soft boiled quail egg and it's flavours were a bit more robust. The delightful looking School Whiting & Scallop Roulade ($27) was complimented with slivers of tasty chorizo.

My main of Pan Fried South Australian Kingfish($41) had a nice crispy skin as hoped and came with silky smooth eggplant puree. The mixture of red peppers & almonds was quite nice and wasn't as spicy as I was expecting. The Roast Cone Bay Barramundi Fillet ($41) came with braised brisket, turnips and turnip puree with a decent crisp skin as well. Even though the menu is predominately fish I thought the Roast Loin & Breast of Lamb, Spiced Carrot Puree, Baby Carrots & Lentils ($44) was the stand out dish of the night with beautifully tender meat complimented with delicious lentils — I certainly had dish envy. A nice match with the smooth tasting Kilikanoon Killerman's Run 2008 Shiraz. I was impressed with the Mixed leaf salad ($10) which was very fresh as if it had just been picked from the garden and came with a simple vinaigrette. Long pieces of semi-crispy Hand cut chips ($14) came at a premium price but were enjoyable nevertheless.

Feeling quite full at this stage there was still a bit of room for dessert of a Cheese plate with a nice selection of quality cheeses which came with ample crackers and bread. The Chocolate & Prune Tart ($18) with Coffee Ice Cream looked quite decadent although the delightful looking Macerated Strawberries, Passionfruit Curd, Meringues & Basil ($18) was perhaps the choice of the night with a nice balance of flavours which wasn't too sweet. Coffees were fairly smooth and not too bitter and I liked how they provided a choice of brown sugar cubes instead of just packaged white sugar. As a final sugar hit the birthday cake was an Adriano Zumbo croquembouche which was very nice which wasn't too sweet although the toffee base was super hard making it unfortunately inedible. The only thing missing was some lovely spun sugar and flowers. Guest received fun gift box filled with lollies and toys.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Nice decor and ambience, Water views, Quality wines, Freshly shucked oysters, Quality ingredients, Good presentation, Professional service, Nice ambient lighting and background music

CONS: Very expensive, Limited street parking

MUST TRY: Oysters, Roast Loin & Breast of Lamb

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Birthday set menu

3 types of bread

Oyster share platter: 12 Claire De Lune, 6 Wonboyn Rock, 6 Port Stephens Rock

Claire De Lune oyster ($4.20 each)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

6 Wonboyn Rock oyster ($4.20 each)

6 Port Stephens Rock oyster ($4.20 each)

School Whiting & Scallop Roulade, Fresh Peas, Chorizo & Olives ($27)

Carpaccio of Hot Smoked Wagyu Beef, Sfot Boiled Quail Egg, Green Beans, Mushrooms ($27)

Cured New Zealand King Salmon, Baby Fennel Salad, Grapefruit Vinaigrette ($27)

Roast Cone Bay Barramundi Fillet, Braised Brisket, Turnips & Turnip Puree ($41)

Pan Fried South Australian Kingfish, Eggplant Puree, Red Peppers & Almonds ($41)

Roast Loin & Breast of Lamb, Spiced Carrot Puree, Baby Carrots & Lentils ($44)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Hand cut chips ($14)

Mixed leaf salad ($10)

Chocolate & Prune Tart, Coffee Ice Cream ($18)

Macerated Strawberries, Passionfruit Curd, Meringues & Basil ($18)

Cheese plate: Blarlaith Cheddar, Stilton Bishop Cropwell Blue [third cheese not identified]

Long black with side of milk

Cappuccino

White and brown sugar cubes

Kawarau Estate 2009 Sauvignon Blanc Central Otago NZ ($54/bottle)

Kilikanoon Killerman's Run 2008 Shiraz

Adriano Zumbo croquembouche birthday cake

Guest party boxes filled with lollies and cute toys

Other customers order: Snapper Pie with Smoked Tomato & Mashed Potato (25 min) ($48)

Wine rack

Oysters chilling on ice before opening

Waiting bar area

Dining room during and after peak service

View of Anzac Bridge

On the waters edge

If you're stuck for street parking there's valet parking

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30 November 2009

SaigonSaigon: Vietnamese, Glebe (29 Nov 2009)

97 Glebe Point Road, Glebe NSW 2037

http://saigonsaigon.com.au

I see red I see red I see red

My first taste of SaigonSaigon was at the Jenius Book Launch and tonight I'm invited as a guest to try some of the other dishes which I've been curious in comparing with other Vietnamese restaurants. I've always wanted to feel like a Gordon Ramsay walking into a restaurant like Kitchen Nightmares to observe how things could be improved but of course this place is no nightmare and they certainly need no help with the fantastic decor which is welcoming, contemporary and classy — they apparently also received an excellent rating for cleaniness of the kitchen from authorities. To start the Lemon and Soda Drink and Pineapple and Mint Frappe are both very refreshing and delicious. They help to cool me down as I feel the dining room has retained some heat from the days heat wave. I'm not sure if the restaurant has air con but after the rear balcony doors are opened a cooling breeze is allowed to drift through.

For entree I'm intrigued by the lotus root used in the Beef Salad which has a delightful taste and works well — I can't remember trying lotus root before but apparently it's authentic so I'll be looking out for it next time. I wish the beef salad came on top of a large black sesame seed prawn cracker like Thanh Binh use for their Green Papaya Salad but the normal prawn crackers still work OK for topping. The filling for the Vietnamese Pancake is well balanced with decent amounts of prawn throughout without having too many bean sprouts. Possibly one of the better ones I've had around town although we agreed it could have been cooked a bit longer to give it a crisper outer shell. The Sugar Cane Prawns are decently sized and tasty which are used in the DIY rolls. The version at Thanh Binh in Cabramatta still reigns supreme as the biggest and best around town I've tried though. One thing I noticed absent with the entrees was a selection of Vietnamese herbs and mint which adds that freshness and flavour unique to Vietnamese cuisine. I'm not sure about the inclusion of sliced onion on the salad which I haven't really come across and think it would be much better replaced with fresh minty herbs, cucumber slices and extra pickled carrot.

Onto mains with the tasty Pork Clay Pot which had good flavour. The Soft Shell Crab had a good crunch factor although I think it could have benefited with a side dipping sauce. I've had plenty of Soft Shell Crab before with Longrain being one of my favourites along with Snakebean, Phamish and Akaneya. This version was pretty decent in size although the coating was perhaps a little thicker than others — I've been told the Salt and Pepper Squid and Prawns is a signature dish to try next time. A good variety of fresh vegetables came with the Wok Seared Greens. Desserts were simply presented with the Deep Fried Banana Fritters being my favourite — batter was thin and crisp and bananas moist and tasty, a good way to end the meal.

Service was friendly although has received some negative comments in the past from Eatability about being slow. I think I could see this potentially happening during busy times if there wasn't enough staff on because it's quite a sizable restaurant with blind spots created by the mirrored partition which divides the restaurant — perhaps something for the owner to keep an eye on.